As the Raven Flies
by Ravynsword
Summary: Sequel to Through the Raven's Eye. The cat's out of the bag. Third in the White Ravens series.


Author: Ravynsword  
e-mail:ravynsword2000@yahoo.com  
Rating:PG-13 (mild violence)  
  
Summary:The cat gets out of the bag.  
  
Authors Notes:This series is dedicated to my friend, C Witch for being a damn good editor and making me laugh when I need it, and my sister Jessa for believing in my ability to do just about anything. Now, on to the story...  
  
****  
  
"Gawd, I can't wait for a hot shower!" exclaimed Drew Windwalker. He and the other members of the White Ravens had just returned to their home base after taking a commission in a small Asian country. They had gone in to retrieve the daughter of some politician who had gotten herself into the kind of trouble that diplomacy wasn't going to fix. The weary group trudged through the main hall of the mansion built into the side of an escarpment towards their respective rooms. Each one looked forward to a hot shower, a hot meal, and a few hours of sleep.  
  
****  
  
"So, we made delivery, got our money, and got out with no one hurt on our side. All in all, not a bad week's work," said Nikki as she entered Cassandra's office at the compound. Andi was still in a foul mood about not being released to head back to the field. While she understood her medic's reasons, she still thought she was okay to go.  
  
"Chalk up one more contract. You know, Nikki, you're doing a great job in the field. Why did you insist on my coming back to the Lair, when you're capable of handling this by yourself?" questioned the brunette sitting behind the desk and gazing at a picture made during the month she spent in Colorado Springs.   
  
While there, she had reconnected with Doctor Daniel Jackson, archaeologist and father of her twin children. Three weeks ago, Nikki had insisted that they needed to relocate back to Canada. The Ravens' core command group returned north while the twins finished up the month with their father before returning to school.  
  
"You were starting to talk about stuff we keep a lid on, Andi," replied the blond. "You told the Air Force doctor about the Ravens, for haven's sake! Who were you going to talk to next? We couldn't take that risk, although you were a little hard on Daniel when he asked you about it."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, you basically told him to deal with it or don't bother trying to see you. That was a little harsh. I hear that he was torn up over it after we left. The twins were upset as well. They couldn't understand why you were suddenly so mean to their father. However, they are thrilled that you let them finish vacation with him before heading back to school," Nikki replied. She truly cared about her friend, but Andi had been getting dangerously talkative in Colorado. She also figured that removing them from the scene would reduce the risk that Jack O'Neill would decide to tell his best friend what he knew about the family his kids belonged to.  
  
"Alright, point taken. So, why not call me on it?"  
  
"You weren't really interested in hearing it at that point."  
  
"Damn."  
  
"Yep."  
  
Both women glanced over when they heard a knock on the office door. After calling out for the visitor to enter, Isaiah entered the office. At this, Cassandra sat up quickly. Isaiah was the medical officer for the White Ravens. His diagnosis decided whether Andi would return to the field soon or not.  
  
"Well, Andi, your tests are back," said the younger man. Isaiah Waterdeep was an intense man who took his responsibilities to the company very seriously. If he thought returning Andi back to the field would in any way threaten the safety of their people, he would refuse. Andi might not like it, but she had set up the rules and she abided by them like everyone else.  
  
"And?" asked both women.  
  
"You're cleared to return to the field when we pull our next contract," when he saw Andi start to get up he continued, "but, I want you in a support position this time. Until then, why don't you go visit the kids? The day after tomorrow is parents' day at the school. They look forward to you being there." At that, Isaiah left the room, the two women toasted Andi's return to the field and got busy making plans for future training exercises.   
  
****  
  
"Mom!" shouted the two children who raced across the parking lot towards the woman who had just gotten out of a black sports car. She stopped in place and knelt down to gather the twins in her arms.  
  
"Hey, you two. I've missed you," Cassandra said by way of greeting. She had come to the twins' school for parents' day. This was one of the events she tried to never miss. Since her time with the twins was limited due to her profession, Andi did everything possible to be available to her children when the Ravens were in town.  
  
"We finished our parents' day project last night," began her son, DJ. The boy was starting to shoot up in height. Andi mused that the light-brown haired boy would easily match his father's height of around six feet. Her breath caught when the sun peeked out from behind a cloud and highlighted his hair. Every time she saw him, he looked more and more like his father.  
  
His sister, Roddy, picked up the sentence at that point, "Yeah, we used the pictures we took at the museum Dad took us to in Denver," she paused, waiting to see her mother's reaction to the mention of their father. When Andi motioned for her to continue, she said, "DJ made the Sphinx, I did the pyramid of Khufu, and we did the funeral compound together. It looks great!"  
  
"I can't wait to see it," came a voice from behind the group. Cassandra straightened and turned to see the owner of that voice. Leaning against her car was Doctor Daniel Jackson. The sun, which had earlier highlighted DJ's hair, now settled over his father like a fine cloak. Behind the lenses of his glasses, Daniel's eyes were shadowed. When he was wrapped in a pair of bear hugs from his children, they lit up like a pair of sapphires.  
  
"Kids, why don't you head into the school, your father and I will be in shortly," Andi told them. They looked at her like they wanted to argue, but the expression on her face stopped them. Giving their father one more hug, they headed for the building, arguing about whose part of the project was harder. With an amused grin for her children, Cassandra turned towards their father.  
  
"Cassandra," he said warily.  
  
"Daniel," she replied. //May as well bite the bullet// she told herself. "I want to apologize for my behavior the last time we spoke. The pressure on my brain was still causing personality changes, but that doesn't excuse what I said to you. All I can ask is that you forgive me and we try to start over." She said all of this in almost one breath and waited nervously for his answer. Cassandra truly loved this man and hoped that her ill chosen words hadn't destroyed his feelings for her.  
  
"I won't pretend I understand where it came from. I also won't ignore the fact that it hurt both the children and myself, but I'd like to try again," he finally said. Daniel stepped forward and took Cassandra in his arms. "I never stopped caring about you. Now that I've found you again, I want a chance to make this work."  
  
"I hope we can," she answered, relaxing into his embrace. She just wished that she could tell him everything. Eventually, they released their hold and walked hand in hand toward the building where they could see their children waiting for them.  
  
****  
  
"Andi, have you heard from Daniel recently?" Nikki asked her friend while they relaxed in the parlor area of Andi's personal quarters. "I spoke to DJ, and he said that Daniel missed the science fair and didn't even call."  
  
"That's not like him," replied the dark-haired woman across from her. "Since he found out about the twins, he's been as involved as possible with their lives. Come to think of it, I haven't really heard from him since parents' day at the school. I just thought he was busy. I'll give him a call tomorrow afternoon. I have that meeting with Stalden Industries in the morning. They've decided to hire us for their security systems."   
  
****  
  
  
"Incoming traveler!" shouted the gate technician. "It's SG-8's code, Sir." From behind him, he heard the order to open the iris.  
  
Standing behind the technicians, General George Hammond prayed that he would see a large group come through the iris. Two weeks ago, they had lost contact with SG-5, and he had sent SG-1 in a week later to find out what happened. There was a garbled message sent back via the MALP, and then silence. Deciding that there had been trouble, SG-8 and SG-9 had been sent through to retrieve their people. Looking down into the gate room, General Hammond saw a lone soldier stumble out of the watery disk that was the Stargate wormhole. An emergency medical team whisked him away as Hammond headed towards the infirmary at a swift pace.  
  
"General," rasped the soldier lying in the bed before him, "they have SG-1. We couldn't find any sign of SG-5. While we were planning the extraction, we were attacked by Jaffa. My entire team was wiped out, along with SG-9. The Goa'uld is holed up in one of their pyramid ships, heavily armed. I'm sorry, Sir. We failed."  
  
"That's alright, son. You did your best," comforted the general. The young man never heard him. Seconds later, the monitor went flat line. Heading back to his office with a heavy heart, George Hammond began outlining the letters to the fallen soldiers' families in his mind. What hurt the most was that their deaths were in vain. He had been ordered not to send any additional SG teams to retrieve SG-1 if this attempt failed. They were to be written off as MIA, probably dead.  
  
****  
  
General Hammond looked up from his desk when he heard a knock at the door to his office. He was feeling old. Watching the young airman die in the infirmary the previous day had just added to it. "Come in," he called out.  
  
"Sir," began Doctor Janet Frasier, "I know we've been ordered not to send any more SG teams in after our people, but what if we find an alternative?" The petite medical officer took a seat before the general's desk. This idea had come to her late in the night and she hoped it would fly.  
  
"Alternative, Doctor? What did you have in mind?" replied the general.  
  
"Well, sir, it appears to be a long-odds hostage situation," at the general's nod she continued. "What if we can get a team that specializes in this sort of thing. Have them sign the secrecy act papers and send them through to get our people out?" She watched the general nervously.  
  
"If that were possible, and that's a big if, doctor, who would we get? We sent some of our best covert people on that last attempt and you saw the results of that."  
  
"Sir, I'm talking about a group that has made their reputations on getting out of suicide missions with their objectives accomplished and almost no casualties to themselves," answered the doctor. Here was where it got tricky. "I'm talking about the White Ravens, sir."  
  
General Hammond's head shot up at that. "Doctor, the White Ravens are a mercenary company! Even if I could convince my superiors to allow it, the Ravens have refused to even consider any contracts from the U.S. military for over five years."  
  
"Yes, sir, I know. However, I believe I can convince them to take this contract. We should at least try, sir," argued the woman.  
  
Turning to a red phone that sat on the corner of his desk, the general made a call. A few minutes later, he turned back to the officer sitting across from him. "Alright, doctor, see what you can do."  
  
Nodding, Doctor Frasier got up from the chair and headed towards her office. She had to decide exactly how much to tell Cassandra Centraice to get her to bring a team here without all of the details. Since finding out about the connection to the White Ravens, Janet had done some research on the company. She discovered that the Ravens refused to even speak to anyone from the U.S. armed forces after the fiasco six years ago that resulted in the loss of at least a dozen of her people. After that, she became almost fanatical about not accepting a contract without as much information as possible.  
  
****  
  
"Blackbird Securities, how may I help you?" asked the receptionist as she answered the phone.  
  
"I need to speak to Ms. Centraice," came the voice on the other end of the line.  
  
"I'm sorry, Ms. Centraice is unavailable at the moment. May I take a message?"  
  
"It's urgent, tell her it's about what she owes to Jack O'Neill."  
  
"One moment, please." The receptionist put the woman on hold and entered Cassandra Centraice's office. "Cassandra, there's a woman on the phone who says she needs to speak to you urgently regarding what you owe to Jack O'Neill. Do you want me to take a message?"  
  
"What I owe O'Neill?" asked Cassandra. She had been back in town for a few days after completing a new contract and was catching up on paperwork. "Put the call through."  
  
The receptionist left the office, and the phone on her desk rang shortly after.  
  
"Cassandra Centraice speaking," she said.  
  
"Ms. Centraice, this is Doctor Frasier from Colorado Springs. Is this a secure line?" came the voice on the other end.  
  
"One moment," Cassandra reached over and flipped a switch. Once she saw the indicator light up, she turned back to the phone. "The line is now secured. How can I help you, doctor?"  
  
"You once said that you owed a blood debt to Jack O'Neill and hadn't figured out how to repay it. Is that still true?"  
  
"Yes, why do you ask?" answered Cassandra, warily.  
  
"Colonel O'Neill's team has been taken hostage. We sent in a covert unit to retrieve them. Only one member returned. We have been ordered not to send any more of our people, but I got General Hammond to authorize contacting the Ravens. I didn't tell him who you were," the doctor paused. "There's one more thing." Frasier hated to say this, "Daniel is part of Jack's team."  
  
At this, Cassandra felt her blood run cold. Janet Frasier proceeded to give her the few details possible.  
  
*****  
  
"Sir, there's a call from up top," said the airman at the general's office door. Hammond picked up his phone as he nodded to dismiss the airman.  
  
"Hammond."  
  
"General Hammond, this is air control. We have been contacted by a helo, call sign whiskey roger henry zero, zero, niner. They mentioned you specifically, said they were expected."  
  
"Yes, I am expecting them. I'll send airmen up to escort them down."  
  
"Very good, sir."  
  
General George Hammond set the receiver back in its cradle. The helicopter that had just contacted Cheyenne Mountain air control was carrying in a team of the best, and deadliest, mercenaries in the business. He still had no idea how Janet Frasier had managed to contact them, let alone convince them to take the job of going in after SG-1. To be truthful, he wasn't sure he wanted to know. After making the calls that would send airmen and Doctor Frasier up top to retrieve their 'guests', he headed for the briefing room.  
  
****  
  
"Doctor, please tell these men that we're cleared to enter," Raven stated sharply. She and nine of her people stood at the security desk as their transportation left the area. Janet was impressed at the speed and quiet of the craft.  
  
"Airman, these people are here at the request of General Hammond and the President. Give them visitor tags and let them pass. Their equipment is expected," stated the petite doctor as she turned to the security desk. Once she had signed the log, taking responsibility for the people behind her, she led them to the elevator that would take them down into the heart of the mountain.  
  
As they left the elevator, Janet turned to them and said, "Remember, you will be sworn to silence regarding anything you see and hear in relation to this operation. If the situation weren't desperate, there would be no way this would have been authorized."  
  
The members of the White Ravens looked at one another, and then followed their captain as she entered the briefing room of what was beginning to be the strangest contract of their careers.  
  
****  
  
"Welcome, Miss..." began the general and the group of ten men and women entered the briefing room and moved toward seats around the long table. They had the same look in their eyes that long time covert operatives had. As he motioned them to sit, a slender woman with long dark hair and pale gray eyes responded.  
  
"As long as we are here as professionals, General, I ask that you refer to us by the names we use in the field. This is for your safety as well as ours. I am Raven." She then pointed to the blond woman standing across from her and went around the table. "This is my second, Phantom, next to her is Hawk, Phoenix, Stingray, Fox, Peregrine, Puma, Coyote, and Cougar." After nodding to the general, each person indicated sat.  
  
"I don't know how much Doctor Frasier has told you," began the commanding officer of the SGC.  
  
"We've been informed that Colonel O'Neill and his unit have been taken prisoner by hostiles. The hostiles are extremely well armed and have no compunctions about 'shoot first and don't bother asking questions'. Other than that, we have a blank slate," replied Raven.  
  
"In front of each of you is a copy of the secrecy act. No more information will be divulged until those are signed. You may not discuss anything you encounter here or on your mission with anyone outside this command," General Hammond indicated the dossier packets in front of each seat. The White Ravens looked to their leader. Raven skimmed through the papers and, satisfied that they wouldn't cause her people harm, nodded. Each member of the team signed a packet and handed it to an airman who went around the table.  
  
"Doctor, please raise the shield."  
  
Doctor Frasier walked over to the wall and pushed a button. Slowly, the display board rose to reveal a large window. At the general's gesture, Raven, Phantom, and Cougar walked over and looked down into the gate room.  
  
"What the?" gasped Phantom.  
  
"That is a device called a stargate," answered Hammond. "The beings holding O'Neill's unit hostage are called Goa'uld."  
  
Doctor Frasier continued the explanation, "They are alien parasites that attach to the central nervous system and control the host body. Their fighters are called Jaffa. Jaffa also act as incubators for the larval state of the parasite. The parasite serves as the host's immune system and will repair injuries during the incubation period."  
  
"Are you telling me we're dealing with little green men?" asked Raven.  
  
"No, the Goa'uld prefer to take human hosts," replied Janet. "They can be killed, but it's a little more difficult than usual."  
  
"So what does this 'stargate' have to do with it?" asked Hawk.  
  
"That's why you had no reason for transportation," stated the general. "SG-1, O'Neill's unit is being held on a planet designated P37-548. The stargate is how you'll get there."  
  
"Wait," interrupted Raven, "you're telling me that my people are shipping out through a big metal doughnut and it's going to take us to another planet?"  
  
"Yes," answered Hammond.   
  
Raven appeared to think about this. Suddenly a klaxon began to sound and the other members of the group moved to the window. Watching the room below, there were various expressions on the faces of the mercenaries, all of which turned to shock when there was a loud whooshing sound and a spout of what appeared to be water shot out of the ring below them. The 'water' withdrew into the stargate and became what looked like a vertical rippling pool. General Hammond could hear gasps from the people at the window when SG-3 appeared from the event horizon.  
  
The mercenaries looked at one another silently for a few long moments. Eventually, they nodded to one another and all of them turned to Raven. She nodded back and they resumed their seats around the table.  
  
"General," said Raven, "shall we begin the briefing? We need to know manpower, weapons capability, terrain, and anything else you can give us." She looked at the older man sitting at the end of the table and George Hammond felt his blood run cold at the look in her eyes. He almost felt sorry for the Goa'uld. Almost. Turning on the projector, he began to brief the people he hoped would bring his flag team home.  
  
****  
  
"I can't believe this!" exclaimed Daniel Jackson from where he was sitting with his back against the wall. At his outburst, Major Samantha Carter looked over at him.  
  
"Can't believe what, Daniel?" she asked.  
  
"I can't believe I finally have something I've always wanted, a family, and now I'm going to lose everything to these damn parasites. Again!" the exasperated archaeologist said. He leaned his head back against the wall. //I'm so sorry, Andi. At least I got to see you again, and meet my children.// thought the slender man.  
  
"We'll find a way out of here," retorted Colonel Jack O'Neill. The defeated expression on his best friend's face worried him more than he would admit. If Daniel gave up, then it would be over. More often than he could count, Jackson's quick mind would find the one piece that they needed to pull themselves out of whatever jam they had gotten themselves into at the time, or at least whatever jam Jack's mouth had gotten them into. //Come on, Danny, just hang in a little while longer, we'll figure something out. We always do.//  
  
"O'Neill," interrupted Teal'c. The large dark-skinned Jaffa stood sentry near the door of the cell in which they were being held. "Guards are approaching." Shortly, they could feel the vibration of the floor as it moved with the reverberation of the heavy boots worn by the enemy Jaffa warriors.  
  
The door to the cell opened to show a guard with staff weapon pointed at the prisoners. "You will come with me to my lord, Pluto," intoned the guard.  
  
"Oh, great," O'Neill said sarcastically as he passed the guard, "is Mickey Mouse hosting tea afterwards?" The guard didn't understand the reference, but struck O'Neill for the insult.  
  
****  
  
"Remember, you have to transmit this signal, or we won't open the iris. You really don't want to find out what hitting a shield of titanium at atomic speeds will do to you," said the technician who was finalizing the kit for the group of ten people dressed in black standing at the foot of the ramp.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, we remember," sighed Hawk. //What, they think we're deaf and senile because we refused their uniforms and most of their guns? Sheesh!// He turned to the tech and repeated, "Dial the DHD using only the coordinates given to us. Pause and transmit Alpha-Gamma-Delta-Niner-Zero-Niner. Once that is transmitted, the iris will be open and we can return." At this, the tech gave him thumbs up and headed out of the gate room at a trot.  
  
"Good luck, people," boomed the voice of General Hammond over the PA system.  
  
Raven looked up at the observation window and nodded once. She then turned her attention to the stargate. From control, the sequence was aired over the sound system. At the seventh chevron, the waterspout appeared and settled back into the event horizon.  
  
"All right, everyone. Keep your eyes peeled. Anything moves, shoot once, ask later. Got it? Good. Let's move out." At this, Raven led the way up the ramp and stepped through the stargate and into the ride of her life.  
  
****  
  
"You have displeased me," the male with glowing eyes thundered from the throne at the end of the long room. With movements made stiff by rage, the short, dark-haired man stood and descended from the dais towards the four figures being held by guards wearing helmets in the shape of what, on Earth, would be Mastiffs or Rottweilers.  
  
"Yeah, well your hospitality leaves something to be desired," retorted Jack O'Neill. There was a small trickle of blood from the right edge of his mouth down his chin and slowly descending his neck. The guard holding him punched him in the side.  
  
"Stop it!" demanded Jackson. "What the hell do you want? Beating us senseless won't get you anything and killing us gives up any bargaining chip we represent."  
  
"What makes you think I want anything besides the power of being the Goa'uld that brought the mighty SG-1 of the Tau'ri to heel?" sneered Pluto. At this point, he gestured for the four of them to be returned to their cell.  
  
"I will break them," the System Lord quietly vowed. "Come my dear, how do you like them?"  
  
From behind a dark hanging stepped a tall blond woman. Her skin was as pale as a winter moon, and she appeared frail. When she spoke, it was with the metallic vibration of the Goa'uld. "The woman will do, my lord. It will be easier to take control once you have broken her. Do you still intend to use one of the others as host?"  
  
The male escorted the woman to a couch in an alcove decorated in gold with scenes of death and suffering. "Proserpine, I will break them. We will use their young, strong bodies as hosts and return to their world. Once there, we will destroy the Tau'ri. This will prove to the other system lords that we are a power to fear. Rest now, tomorrow, you gain a new host." With that, he stroked her hair briefly and left the throne room.  
  
****  
  
"Sir, are you alright?" asked Carter. "It looks like he got you pretty good in the ribs."  
  
"Yeah, I'll be okay. When have you known me not to smart off to a snake-head, huh?" answered O'Neill.  
  
Jack looked around at his people. He could see the concern and worry in the major's eyes. //If only// he thought. Teal'c had returned to standing sentry at the door. While the man looked still, Jack could tell by looking at his eyes that was also concerned about the situation they were in. No one had come to the rescue so far. That was a bad sign; it meant they had probably been written off. With a sigh, he shifted to look at his best friend. //C'mon, Danny, don't give up. Just a little longer. Please, just make it a little longer.// The look of defeat that covered his friend's face frightened him more than an entire army of Jaffa ever could.  
  
On the other side of the room, Daniel Jackson sat on the floor with his back against the wall. Once again, members of the team had been injured at the hands of the Goa'uld. He had lost both his wife and his brother-in-law to them. While they had managed to finally get Skaara back, Teal'c had killed Sha'uri when the Goa'uld, Amonnet, was forcing her to attempt killing Daniel. //Why do I bother? We're going to die here. Jack won't admit it, but we haven't seen any sign of a rescue team, so the brass has written us off. I got two more months with a woman I love more than anything, even more than Sha'uri. I got a chance to know Daniel and Arianrhod. At least I'll have those memories to comfort me while I die.// Daniel pulled a pair of photos out of his pocket. One was of his friends, his children, and himself on an outing while they were in Colorado. The other photo was of himself with Cassandra and the twins. Holding the photos close to his heart, Daniel lay down and closed his eyes. Shortly he had become lost inside his memories. He didn't see the look of concern that passed between his friends and teammates.  
  
****  
  
One right after the other, ten figures dressed in black emerged from a glowing blue disk into the night of the planet. They fanned out. Each one had an automatic weapon hanging at their side, and carried a weapon that looked like nothing so much as a cobra reared to strike. When a group of dog-headed figures stepped out of the tree line, the figures near the stargate shot quickly. Most hit three times, the bodies vaporizing on the third strike. They chose two who seemed to be giving orders and only hit them once. As soon as the immediate area was secured, Puma and Peregrine moved to secure the two stunned forms on the ground.  
  
Walking up to the figures, Raven pressed a button on the side of each helmet and watched them retract fluidly into metal collars. At her nod, Stingray, slapped each a couple of times and stepped back. Slowly, the eyes of the two males on the ground opened.  
  
"Good evening. Let's have a little chat about what you're going to tell us," Raven stated coldly while her people aimed weapons at the two enemy guards. Shortly, the sound of quiet screams drifted on the breeze that flowed across the clearing.  
  
****  
  
"Sir," whispered Sam, "I'm getting worried about Daniel. He's not eating anything and he's either sitting with his eyes closed or he's just staring at nothing. It's almost like he's not here anymore." The blond officer turned to look at her friend. The utter stillness he had displayed for the last few hours was unnerving. It was as if he had decided to give up and was just waiting for the final strike to end it all. She no longer knew if he would even try to fight if they found a chance to escape.  
  
Jack O'Neill looked from the worried sky blue eyes of his second in command to the glazed dull azure eyes of his friend. //It's almost as if he's already clocked out. At this point that might be better for him. He wouldn't know what happened. I promise, Danny, you won't become a host. You or Carter, not if I can help it.// Jack went back to listening to the silence outside the cell they were in. He hadn't told Carter, but he and Teal'c had talked while she and Daniel were asleep. When the time came, if there was no hope of escape, they would make sure that their friends wouldn't be able to be used as hosts. He just hoped they would understand.  
  
****  
  
The two guards standing sentry at the entrance of the large pyramid shaped structure turned when there was a noise off to the side. They looked at each other as if to decide whether to investigate the sounds. Suddenly, both of the helmets retracted and their throats were slit silently. The bodies were dragged off to the side. A few minutes later, two figures dressed in the uniforms of Pluto's Jaffa stood at the entrance to the building as eight figures dressed in black slipped quietly past.  
  
****  
  
"You will come with me," intoned the guard at the door to the cell.  
  
//Here it comes,// thought Jack. "Well, kiddies, it's time to go play with the snakes. Watch out for their bite." Jack was struck in the back of the knees at this. He stood up a little more slowly and knew that it would be difficult to fight with the pain, but he would do whatever he had to.  
  
****  
  
"I have ended my patience with you," sneered the male sitting in the throne on the dais. "It is time to be done with this." He turned to the tapestry that hung to the side of the room.  
  
"Persephone," whispered Jackson.  
  
"Huh?" asked O'Neill.  
  
"The tapestry, it's the legend of Persephone. She was kidnapped to be Hades' queen in Greek mythology. In the Roman, she's Proserpine and she became Pluto's queen," answered Daniel in a distracted voice. They both stared when the pale figure came from behind the tapestry.  
  
"My queen requires a new host," stated Pluto. "I have decided that your female will serve. Also, one of you will become my new host. Using your bodies and memories, we will destroy the Tau'ri and gain power among the System Lords."  
  
The colonel and Teal'c attempted to break free of the guards who held them, but were unable. Two of the Mastiff-headed guards stepped forward and dragged Sam Carter and Daniel Jackson towards a pair of iron rings embedded into the floor before the throne. Sam did everything she could to fight, but Daniel just moved like someone in shock. No one in the room noticed two more guards entering the back of the throne room.  
  
The Goa'uld motioned to his guards and they unclasped the restraints on Carter and Jackson in preparation for attaching them to the rings. Suddenly, the two guards toppled over. Carter spun around and grabbed for the guard's weapon and Daniel seemed to snap out of his catatonia and grabbed for the other one.  
  
At this point, chaos broke loose in the room as six more figures poured into the room. Dressed in black, the half-dozen men and woman proceeded to drop any guard that SG-1 didn't account for on their own.  
  
"Colonel," greeted Raven. Jack's head whipped around and he took a good look at their rescuers.  
  
"I'm not even gonna ask right now, but I'm damn glad to see you," he replied.  
  
Hearing this exchange, Daniel slowly looked around him. His face lost color slowly as he realized he knew the black-clad figures. One of them was the woman he never thought to see again. "Andi?" he asked.  
  
"We'll talk later, I promise," she said quickly as raised her hand to caress his face briefly before they started herding SG-1 toward the door.  
  
"Halt," commanded the Goa'uld from the throne. "You are not permitted to leave. I will have you for hosts."  
  
"Yeah? I don't remember asking for permission, slime," retorted Raven. When he moved to intercept Daniel, she moved faster than Jack could track. Almost immediately, there was a blade hilt growing out of the Goa'uld's neck. Another seemed to sprout from the throat of the female still on the dais. In the resulting chaos, Raven moved next to Daniel and supported him as they moved out of the throne room to toward the exit of the pyramid.  
  
"Time to clear out," Raven called out as the team regrouped at the tree line outside the pyramid. "Phoenix, Cougar, Coyote, you're with me. The rest of you, get SG-1 to the gate. We'll be on your heels." When both Phantom and O'Neill looked prepared to argue, she ordered, "We have orders to get SG-1 back through that gate, and that's what we're going to do. Get going, we'll do a little clean up and be right behind you." Jack looked like he still wanted to argue, but Phantom started moving them in the direction of the gate as Raven and the others she had called for went back into the building.  
  
****  
  
"Phoenix, how long till those charges we set go off?" asked Raven. She and three of her people had laced thermal and plastique charges throughout the structure over the last five minutes. It had been difficult to avoid all of the patrols, but the chaos that ensued when the bodies of Pluto and Proserpine had been found helped.  
  
"About another five minutes," the redhead replied.  
  
"Hey, boss, look at this," called out Cougar. She was standing in a doorway a little further down the corridor.  
  
Phoenix and Raven moved to join the woman and her partner in the doorway.  
  
"They look almost like wave-runners, don't they?" asked Coyote.  
  
With a thoughtful look on her face, Raven asked, "Anyone want to go for a ride?"  
  
****  
  
"Come on, keep moving!" ordered Phantom. She knew that her team was tired, and she knew that O'Neill's people hurt, but they couldn't risk getting captured on their way to the gate. Both groups continued moving toward the gate together.  
  
"Raven to Phantom, respond," came a voice over the com-units.  
  
"This is Phantom, go ahead," she answered.  
  
"Prepare for pickup, over" came the reply.  
  
"Pickup?" asked Jack. The four members of SG-1 were wearing spare com-units brought with the Ravens. When he looked at Phantom, she just shrugged.  
  
"This will be on the fly, we have about one minute until all hell breaks loose behind us, so be prepared," added the voice in their ears.  
  
In the distance, they saw a set of figures coming at them at high speed on what looked like airborne wave-runners. As they got closer, the team could recognize the members of their group that had stayed behind.  
  
As they came upon the group on foot, the four riders cut loose spare sleds they had been towing. Quickly there were two people on nearly every sled as they sped toward the gate. From behind them came a rumble and the beginnings of a shock wave caused by a series of explosions.  
  
"Hawk," ordered Raven, "phone home! Now!"  
  
From the back of one sled, a hand was raised and suddenly, the stargate ahead of them sprang to life.  
  
"Allemande left!" came the order. SG-1 had no idea what was in store, but the sleds began to arrange themselves in a specific flight order as Hawk radioed a message to the SGC to clear the gate room.  
  
The last thing seen on the planet was the sight of a group of sleds shooting into the stargate at high speed.  
  
****  
  
"Incoming traveler, sir. It's the code we gave the mercenaries!" shouted out the gate control technician.  
  
"Well, open the iris!" commanded Hammond. "Have a medical team standing by."  
  
"Sir, they've requested that we clear the gate room."  
  
"Do it!"  
  
Seconds after the gate room was cleared, a group of Goa'uld sleds came through the gate and sharply banked in alternating directions. Each one barely missed impact with the wall below the observation window. Hammond spared a thought of admiration for their piloting skill in the middle of his concern at their recklessness. The last sled appeared just below a staff weapon blast that came through the gate. The edge of the sled caught on the ramp and wiped out, throwing the rider. When the gate closed down, the medical team retrieved SG-1 and moved the rider who had been on the crashed sled to a gurney for the trip to the infirmary.  
  
****  



End file.
